The Danger of Backbiting Scholars
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Likewise, backbiting scholars. And scholars are not infallible, without a doubt. No one is protected from error except one, and that is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).As Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: None of us is there but that some of his words are taken and some are left, except the one in this grave, pointing to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). And he (may Allah have mercy on him) spoke the truth: everyone makes mistakes. Even a person himself sometimes realizes his error when he says something and then investigates it or is questioned about it, and it becomes clear that he was wrong.
But is it the due of scholars who have exhausted themselves in acquiring knowledge and spared no effort in spreading it among the community, that if they make one mistake, their error is publicized while their virtues are silenced?
No, by Allah.
It is not their due, and this is not justice, nor is it equity. Rather, justice is to balance the good deeds and the bad deeds. If the good deeds outweigh the bad deeds, the person is among those who do good. This is when the bad deeds are close in number to the good deeds. So what if there is one bad deed in contrast to thousands of good deeds? But some people, and I seek refuge in Allah, take the single mistake as an excuse for cursing, gossiping, and adding other bad deeds to this one.
And this is not permissible under any circumstances.
And know that if people’s trust in scholars decreases, this does not mean it is merely an insult to the scholar personally, but it is an insult to the scholar and to the Shari'ah he carries. If the scholar is lowered in the eyes of people, they do not accept his words and reject them, even if they are clearer than the sun, because trust has been removed from them. And if people did not trust one another, no one would ever benefit from anyone. Even the person you want to deal with, to sell to and buy from, if you do not trust him, would you deal with him? No.
Therefore, I advise you to strive with utmost effort to avoid gossip, and for a person to occupy himself with what concerns him rather than what does not concern him, because that is part of the excellence of a person’s Islam, as spoken by the truthful and the one who confirms the truth, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
I ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to make me and you among those who protected people from their evil, and protected them from the evil of people, and to guide us to His straight path, and to accept from us and from you.
And I give you good news that your attendance at this gathering is included in the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): (Whoever takes a path in which he seeks knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise).
We ask Allah for sincerity for us and for you.
But is it the due of scholars who have exhausted themselves in acquiring knowledge and spared no effort in spreading it among the community, that if they make one mistake, their error is publicized while their virtues are silenced?
No, by Allah.
It is not their due, and this is not justice, nor is it equity. Rather, justice is to balance the good deeds and the bad deeds. If the good deeds outweigh the bad deeds, the person is among those who do good. This is when the bad deeds are close in number to the good deeds. So what if there is one bad deed in contrast to thousands of good deeds? But some people, and I seek refuge in Allah, take the single mistake as an excuse for cursing, gossiping, and adding other bad deeds to this one.
And this is not permissible under any circumstances.
And know that if people’s trust in scholars decreases, this does not mean it is merely an insult to the scholar personally, but it is an insult to the scholar and to the Shari'ah he carries. If the scholar is lowered in the eyes of people, they do not accept his words and reject them, even if they are clearer than the sun, because trust has been removed from them. And if people did not trust one another, no one would ever benefit from anyone. Even the person you want to deal with, to sell to and buy from, if you do not trust him, would you deal with him? No.
Therefore, I advise you to strive with utmost effort to avoid gossip, and for a person to occupy himself with what concerns him rather than what does not concern him, because that is part of the excellence of a person’s Islam, as spoken by the truthful and the one who confirms the truth, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
I ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to make me and you among those who protected people from their evil, and protected them from the evil of people, and to guide us to His straight path, and to accept from us and from you.
And I give you good news that your attendance at this gathering is included in the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): (Whoever takes a path in which he seeks knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise).
We ask Allah for sincerity for us and for you.